This is a Bible Study based on the scripture 2 Kings 3
*Both the King James Version and New living Translation are used. The King James Version of the bible is known to be a faithful translation of the original languages of the bible that accurately conveys the meaning behind those words and events. It is known to be more scholarly than any of its predecessors. The New Living Translation is used to be a clear and readable translation to the original texts used.
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Bible Study
In this story, Prophet Elisha instructs three kings that sought him out to hear the word of the Lord regarding their upcoming battle. He lets them know what the Lord told them to do in this troubling period. 2 King 3:16-19 informs readers what the Lord instructed them to do:
2 Kings 3:16-19 (KJV): “16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. 17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. 19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
Now, these men were hungry, thirsty, and lacked strength as they were in the desert. However, God was asking them to have incredible faith and dig ditches in dry land. The ditches were going to hold the water that was going to come. He was letting them know that in a place where there was little rain and water, He was going to pour down so much rain – though there were in the middle of the desert, though there was no rain, and though they were tired.
They had to prepare for their blessing by having faith and doing what they were commanded to do in an area that seemed impossible for the blessing to manifest. But if God promised it, He was going to do it. For God is not a man that He shall lie or the son of man that He shall repent (Numbers 23:19). If He said it, He was going to do it.
But sometimes people can lose the blessings God had in store for them by not being prepared for it. If they didn’t dig the ditches, when the rain came by His promise, it would fall flat to the ground and nothing would have been able to carry it. The ground would have soaked up the blessing. But since they dug the ditches and prepared for the blessing, when the rain (blessing) came, it was able to be held and kept. We must act in expectations of our promises.
If God promised He was going to give the blessing, we should act in faith by getting ready for it as seen in this scripture passage. We need to prepare to receive it, which is a huge act of faith in the eyes of God. This pleases the Lord, for scripture states in Hebrews 11:16 (KJV): “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
The work which was commanded for them to do was hard for many reasons.
- There was no visible proof the rain was going to come and fill the ditches with water.
- The men were tired and thirsty from being in the dry land.
- The men had no strength and were told to FILL the land with the ditches, which would take the remaining energy they had left.
However, the work was essential. It set the foundation for the blessing to be received. In your case, whatever the Lord has promised you He is going to do, the background work before the blessing comes down IS essential. Whether it may be in preparation for a new job, school, marriage, or house. Whatever blessing you asked God for and He promised He will do it, we are expected to prepare for it. That way, when the blessing does come, you are more than ready to receive it and have your firm foundation set.
For example, if God said He will bless you with a marriage, you do not wait until the spouse comes to get ready. You get ready now! Get ready in faith. What that may look like varies for different people but some things you can do to get ready is going over your finances, looking at different places you want to live, learning to budget, plan, and save to prepare you, coming up with important questions you want to ask them to make sure you are on the same page in regards to your marriage, spending time with the LORD to learn your God given purpose to make sure you are where you’re meant to be, and the lists goes on (Let me know in the comments if you would like me to make a separate post on this!)
The point is: You do not get ready when you have the blessing but you get ready in advance for the expectation of the blessing. That way you will be able to retain it. The foundation will be there. It can be kept when the blessing arrives.
The principle God is showing us in this passage is that He wants us to prepare for the blessings He wants to bring. God wants to bless us. The Lord God says in “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). And there is so much more scripture that emphasizes how much He wants to bless us. But we have to get ready for it as an act of faith.
Prepare for the blessings God wants to bring. He gives us tasks that we really can do to get ready. The beginning preparation work may seem hard but it is not impossible to do. It lays the foundation for the blessings and allows it to be smooth sailing from that point because the hard work was done in the beginning.
Does that mean everything will be perfect? NO. But the ground work that was laid through your preparation and faith will allow the blessing to come with ease and show the Lord your true faith in Him.
My favorite line in this scripture is when the Lord lets it be clearly known that this blessing is a “light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.” (2 Kings 3:18). The NLT says “But this is only a simple thing for the LORD, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab!”
This is so good for many reasons. The blessing God wants to bless us with is EASY for him to do. What may seem impossible for men, is possible for God.
Mark 10:27 (KJV): “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”
Another reason that this is great news to hear is that it shows that God truly wants to provide for His own. Not only that, He wants to go above and beyond in His provision. Not only did God say that He will make them completely victorious over their enemies, He stated “You will conquer the best of their towns, even the fortified ones. You will cut down all their good trees, stop up all their springs, and ruin all their good land with stones” (2 Kings 3:19 NLT). And the men just wanted help. So good.
In acting by faith, we will see that God was actually going to provide more than we can think, ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). We just have to have faith in what we hope for, the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1)
The story continues and the men act in faith and dug the ditches in the dry land. As a side note, the deeper the ditches, the more of the rain (blessing) would have been received. So the more you prepare for your blessings in faith, the more you will be prepared to carry. The land was filled with water only because they acted in faith and were obedient to dig the ditches. Even if the preparation was hard, the more they dug, the more they were able to carry.
2 Kings 3:20 (NLT): “The next day at about the time when the morning sacrifice was offered, water suddenly appeared! It was flowing from the direction of Edom, and soon there was water everywhere.”
This leads to another key takeaway from this story, which is obedience. If the Kings had not been obedient to the command of God and failed to dig the ditches, they would not have received the blessings. Again, the rain would have come and fallen flat into the ground if they did not dig the ditches to hold it.
The LORD instructed them to dig the ditches so they would be prepared to receive the floods of water, which would have been their blessing. So, God tells us to do things that may require incredible faith and hard work, but it will be worthwhile. If we act in obedience to God, we will see the fruits of our labor.
In the end, they were winning the battle and we see why the LORD asked them to dig ditches in the first place. It says in 2 Kings 3:22-24:
2 Kings 3:22-24 (NLT) “22 But when they got up the next morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it appear red to the Moabites—like blood. 23 “It’s blood!” the Moabites exclaimed. “The three armies must have attacked and killed each other! Let’s go, men of Moab, and collect the plunder!” 24 But when the Moabites arrived at the Israelite camp, the army of Israel rushed out and attacked them until they turned and ran. The army of Israel chased them into the land of Moab, destroying everything as they went.”
So, the ditches were needed to prepare for victory in an unexpected way. When the water was filled inside of it, it looked like blood to their enemies. This led to their enemies incorrectly believing that the kings got in a fight and ended up killing each other. Boy, were they wrong. You see, God knows the reason why He asks us to do certain tasks. He just needs us to have faith in His word and act in complete obedience to Him. TRUST HIM. He knows everything! (1 John 3:20, John 16:13, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:4, Proverbs 19:21, Isaiah 46:10, Psalm 139:16, Ephesians 1:11, Psalm 33:11, Psalm 44:21, Romans 8:18, Isaiah 45:19, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, James 4:13-15 , Revelation 1:8 , Romans 8:18-25, Proverbs 27:1, Psalm 32:8, Jeremiah 31:17, Isaiah 55:8-9, Psalm 37:37, Matthew 24:25 , Matthew 16:21 , Psalm 118:24).
How to Trust God
Overall, the lesson learned here is that we are supposed to act not based on what we see, but in expectation of what He promised. We are to act in total faith and obedience to God. Because if God promised, He will bring the blessing. The preparation that God requires from us is not the actual blessing but is essential for the blessings of God to come.
I hope you were greatly blessed from this 2 Kings 3 bible study as I was while writing it. May God continue to bless you, make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you (Numbers 6:24-26).
Key Lessons
- Like digging ditches, the end result will be purposely used by God.
- Like digging ditches, faith means not accepting the present state of dryness and acting based on the word of God heard.
- Like digging ditches, the revelation comes from God of the preparation I have to do get ready.
- Like digging ditches, the end result is blessed beyond reasonable expectation.
- Like digging ditches, it is hard work and is done by faith in God.
Blessing: “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)
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Prayer: Lord, thank you for allowing me to read and meditate on your word. I thank you for guiding and leading me to this word. I pray that you use it as a tool to help complete the purposes and plans that you have for my life. Lord, how can I prepare to receive the blessings you promised me and that you want to give me? I pray that you continue to guide me and lead me. My life is forever in your hands. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.
